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Saturday, October 2, 2021

Firestone Country Club Fazio Course (Akron, OH)

I wonder if the casual golfer realizes Firestone has three golf courses. Judging from the response I got when I told people I was playing there, I’d reckon the answer is probably no. The Fazio Course, formerly known as the West, surrounds the South and plays on the perimeter of the property with the back nine occupying the large hill adjacent to famed 16th hole. 



The Fazio Course opened after a six month bunker enhancement program. They took out 30 traps and renovated 40. The course is more user friendly now. The fairways are wide and the greens have plenty of short grass surrounding them. The terrain is ideal for golf. The topography rolls up and down and the holes flow over it effortlessly. 


(The 392/373 yard par four second doglegs right while climbing up the hill. The opportunity to cut off yardage is available if the player can carry the inside bunkers. The approach is semi blind with a trap guarding the front right.) 


(The 211/184 yard par three third is slightly uphill to a two tiered green. The front left bunker was replaced by short grass and left hand pin positions are now not as intimidating as they once were. Playability is much better after the enhancement.) 

For me, what makes the Fazio so good is the fact that it’s completely different from the South Course. It adds a different flavor to the club where one can free wheel it off the tee, and hit plenty of short irons and wedges into the greens. The bunkers that remain are big enough to guard imposing pin positions, and the opportunity to shoot a good score is present. The putting surfaces are misleading with slopes playing opposite of the green surrounds. I was confused several times with the ball either going the other way or by not borrowing enough break. 


(The 324/317 yard par four fourth is a good opportunity to grab a stroke back. No reason to get too greedy off the tee. Hit to your favorite yardage and attack from there.) 


(The 356/337 yard par four fifth is a tad more difficult than the fourth. The hole bends to the left with traps guarding that side. Players who favor the right side from the tee will be left with a tougher angle while those who flirt with the trouble have a head on view.)

It’s amazing the amount of land Firestone owns. The Fazio course starts left of the fourth hole of the South, then it goes further east before wrapping around to where the ninth hole plays next to South sixteenth. The back nine then plays back n forth until it climbs to the top of the hill at fifteen. From the green, much of the property is in view. 


(The 625/544 yard par five ninth required three well played shots. The player who keeps it down the left can get pretty close to the putting surface in two. The green has some aggressive slopes which funnels the ball to the right. Birdie is well earned.)


(This is a good view of ten green from eleven tee. Note all the short grass surrounding the green. Average players have a fair chance at securing a par as long as they avoid the sand. It’s 426/385 yard par four.)

The Fazio Course plays to a par 70 with three par fives and five par threes. Even with the five short holes, the course maxes out at just under 7000 yards. There is a steady diet of strong par fours. Thankfully the course plays somewhat firm and the ball runs a good ways out. The first seven holes are the scoring holes and will set one up for a good score. The last eleven have several strong par fours where you’ll need quality shots to secure par. The last four holes in particular are really good. 


(The 170/145 yard par three twelth plays over a slight valley to a knob on the side of the hill. One must guard against going long and/right as the ground drops quickly…
…this view shows the movement in the green and just how small it plays. It looks like an easy par on the card, but it requires a quality shot. It’s a well designed hole.)

They put a lot of outings on the Fazio. It’s almost used as a relief course to prevent everyone from playing over on the South. Because it’s more open and user friendly, it can handle players who are higher handicaps. The Fazio hosts the Ohio Senior Open annually so it sees plenty of quality play too. That said, we had a fore caddy who told me that the members play this course the least. I was kind of perplexed by that but I’m sure they feel if they’re not getting their brains bashed in then it’s not fun. That’s Firestone right?! 


(The 476/392 yard par four fifteenth is a real bruiser. The hole plays straightaway before climbing slightly uphill. As you can see in the pic, the green has a bowl in left center and it dominates all the pin positions. The key is to avoid it unless the pin is in it. A par is a very good score.) 


(The sixteenth plays a whooping 244 yards from the back tees! Thankfully the hybrid tees are a more reasonable 178 yards. It’s a downhill shot to a green that slopes right to left. The view is almost as nice as fifteen.)


(The 525/506 yard par five seventeenth is a good chance for birdie. The hole plays straightaway with the green below fairway level. One can hit two shots to position himself for downhill third or take a chance on hitting it far enough to be in the spot the golfer in pic is, or better yet, reach the short grass area. A lot of options are available.) 

When I played the South a few years ago, I thought the Fazio looked great. I’ve been clamoring to play it and I finally got my chance when a friend of mine took me. I love the way it moves especially when you consider the South plays up n down the hill while the Fazio actually plays across it. Thus it has more variety and several different looks. It keeps your interest and never gets dull. It’s a solid course, and while it plays second fiddle to its brethren, it more than holds its own in my book. I give the Fazio a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours to play). 


(The 482/382 yard par four finishing hole plays downhill to a green guarded by sand and water…
…this narrow creek catches a lot of shots coming out of the rough or bunker. Players may have to layup to it if their lie isn’t good enough to advance to the green…
…a par is a good score. The pin position typically determines how tough the hole plays. A back right flag will prove to be extra difficult.) 



Firestone South review :



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